A hard disk assembly(HDA) houses a magnetic information storage medium typically referred to in the industry as a disk. Read/write disk heads, also housed within an HDA, retrieve and store data by detecting the polarity of ferrite elements on the disk surface. During normal disk operation, read/write disk heads "float" over the surface of the disk as it spins. The "float" is a small gap between the read/write disk heads and the disk surface. Particulates and gases that enter the gap causes errors in information storage and retrieval and in some cases irreparable physical damage to the disk.
The typical HDA comprises a subassembly of a commercial disk drive fully enclosed in a hermetically sealed aluminum HDA frame. The HDA is assembled, evacuated, and sealed in a clean room environment. The HDA subassembly is further incorporated into a commercial product in a standard manufacturing environment. The HDA seal resists seepage of atmospheric particulates and gases into the "float". The presence of the particulates and gases can cause intermittent errors which renders a disk drive unreliable. In some cases the disk will become nonfunctional and disk users may suffer irretrievable loss of data stored thereon.
The HDA further requires sealed electrical access to printed circuit boards physically located on the exterior of the HDA frame. A known sealed electrical access utilizes a pin header and two receptacles plugged into opposite sides thereof. A first receptacle connects to typically a flexible film via solder on an interior of the HDA frame and plugs into one side of the pin header. The pin header mounts into an opening in the HDA frame. A second receptacle plugs into the opposite side of the pin header for electrical access to the exterior of the HDA frame. An operator forces a curable polymer into a junction between a periphery of the pin header and the HDA frame. The polymer, when cured, provides a seal sufficient to isolate the interior of the HDA from undesirable particulates and gases.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,976,634 discloses a sealing system in which solid sealant preforms occupy a peripheral channel in a connector body. The occupied channel in the body meets a corresponding recess in a protective shroud. Both body and shroud are held together and heated. The heating causes the preforms to reflow and form a bond and a seal between the body and the shroud.
An HDA seal comprised of a curable polymer seal is known for outgasing during curing of the polymer, which causes gases to enter into the interior of the HDA. These gases can interfere with the read/write disk operations in the same way as particulates and gases that seep from the atmosphere. Accordingly, there has been a need for a connector capable of being manufactured according to standard low cost manufacturing processes, that will provide a reliable hermetic seal in an HDA frame without requiring the use of a curable polymer. Advantages to dispensing with a curable polymer include the opportunity to dispense with clean room handling of potting material and equipment, provide better control over the manufacturing process with regard to seals, and reduce time to manufacture.
Consistent with current trends in the electronic industry toward increased complexity and miniaturization, it is generally desirable for a connector to provide a large number of surface contacts within a small area. Accordingly, there is a need for a connector that provides a number of surface electrical contacts in a minimum amount of space.